Ah! the light goes on...I was obsessing over a bee tight fit and with replacing all other boards. Now I see why you mentioned that you would consider making a little hole in the follower to help stragglers return.
Again, thanks. I am really enjoying the education and good common sense you offer. I wish I could get some work done but cannot tear myself away from observing the bees.

luckily, I "work" at home...
Still waiting for late packages for my Warre hives. I am really glad to have installed the first into the HTBH. The hands on experience and ease of making increase appeals.

Just screened the bottom of my first hive with a section of the safety netting from a large kids garden trampoline (no longer required). Mesh size is around 3.5 to 4mm so doubled it over and secured with glazing beading pinned to the bottom of the hive.

Looks like it doesn't get real hot so cooling is not the main issue, though it will help out on 90 degree days.

Mite control is a big factor. If you have a solid bottom, when the mites fall off or get groomed off a bee they fall on the bottom board and climb back up into the hive. With a screened bottom, they fall out of the hive, reducing your mite problem.

I was thinking ,after reading about Varroa and screens in the post above , about what happens to the mites that get trapped in the screen at the bottom of the hive . How far can the little buggers climb?
One of the advantages I see with a top bar hive is that the mites can either fall out the bottom ( bye bye ) or get trapped on the screen. Some must hit the screen due to the law of averages. Now in a so called conventional hive when the bee shakes one off they could ,I assume ,climb up the foundation back towards the bees quite quickly ,whilst in a TBH they would have a much further way to climb to reach the brood area.As they would have to climb to the top of the hive and then down wards . Anyway of slowing them down could result in them starving to death before they find a new host .
Some creatures instinctivly go up ,if that is the case with verroa then how the screen is attached to the hive could be used to direct them to the outside of the hive and oblivion or into a dead end and ...er .. well dead .
An example of this type of behavior in insects is used in the simple wasp traps found on this site ,the ones made from plastic coke bottles .
So is this an idea that could work ? Simply attaching the mesh some how to the out side as opposed to the bottom in such a way that the verroa find themselves outside the hive as they attempt to climb upwards would be a start, even a couple of % lof the verroa getting lost in this way would be a help maybe .

Or are Verroa just passive and will wait where they fall until a bee comes by
(I put this idea on another part of this web site but no one commented I hope this is a more suitable area)
Just a thought on a damp day here in Angers

Mites can walk a bit, but being that they have tiny legs and comparatively large bodies, I doubt that they walk very far. If you make your entrance holes a couple of inches above the floor, I think that there is less likelihood of a fallen mite getting back in the saddle.

I seem to remember somebody suggesting, somewhere else, that entrance holes at floor level would help bees clearing out debris. It might, but would surely help mites more.

can you do some kind of weave pattern using nails and wire that will give you the right size. i am building my hive now, and dont have a car, its near impossible to get around on sunday. i was going to use window screen, but checking this forum, i was reminded it would be too small.

Just wondered if you knew that The Mesh Company now sells varroa mesh in lengths suitable for Top Bar Hives.! Via its website.
And at a very reasonable price. Except the delivery charge does add quite a bit!
I've just ordered the minimum pack of 4 for £12-99 + £7-00 delivery.
At the moment It comes as 1200mm x 180mm size, Which is what I first suggested to Chris would cover most hives if built to Phil Chandler's plans.
It comes in packs of 4, 10, 15 & 20 pieces.
I also suggested that as many TBH's are home made, they don't always conform to Phil's standard! And maybe a a bit wider size of 1200mm x 200mm would cover more bases so to speak.
He tells me he might adjust the size to this.
Check it out at...
www.themeshcompany.com_________________Contains traces of nuts! Can cause a reaction!

i used plastic mesh obtained from a flower shop. very strong flexible cut with scissors 8 holes to the inch. then hardware cloth from local feed mill-essentially rabbit cage wire as there are racoons and skunks about my area._________________"when the student is ready, the teacher will appear"

I emailed Chris last week for a price and he said he was adding it to the online shop so I have waited. He did say he would put a single sheet option on but many be that's not viable. I'll be ordering the 4 pack shortly then will have it stock for future hives.

Just finishing my first TBH from a mix of recycled wood and shop bought.

Even cheaper than Dobies, which was out of my way but the only other choice I could find fairly locally And I explained to the guy who was cutting it what he was for and he cut it on the generous side, so it was long enough to do the floor with a 'one length' strip, making it enough for at least 3 more hives

I do have the fine mesh bottoms on my hive, but as the freezing nights approached, the bees started to quickly propolize the mesh. I bought a role of landscaper's cloth, also called ground cloth which is used to put around shrubs to block weeds but allow rain to drain through. It is somewhat translucent letting some light through and more importantly air circulation. I believe it is helping the winds from whirling upward into the box this winter , but gives them fresh air circulation. BTW, the propolizing stopped when I stapled the cloth on. I intend to remove it in the warmth of the spring. Hope this may help someone else.

Ace Hardware carries what is called 1/8 inch hardware cloth. It's metal, and there are 8 squares to the inch. Keeps bees in - let's mites fall out! (The ones that don't grab it on their way down)

Some of the Ace stores, (here in Maine they will) will cut it to length for you. But I've heard many people complain that their local hardware store either didn't have it, or you had to buy a large (100 foot!) roll of it.

We try to help solve that problem for folks by providing the hardware cloth, in addition to all the other hardware needed for a Gold Star hive in the DIY#1 kit.

That Big Box attitude really gets under my skin - having to buy 60 of something you need 10 of - that just isn't green!

did any one order any varroa mesh from the mesh company here in the UK?

if so does any one have any surplus to requirements as i cannot justify the cost of getting a full pack of 4 just for one hive, so if there is any one who did have a spare sheet and would be willing to sell me a sheet please get in touch. as is normal i will also pay postage for it to be sent.

good video, just shows the damage they will do given half a chance and once the bees have gone they are then free to eat all they want. surprised there was no teeth marks on the bars with them eating it as close.

i would think a plastic mesh can still be used as long as there is a solid board fastened over the bottom, little wood blocks in each corner would also allow the ventilation and also for the varroa to drop out too._________________common sense, it is'nt that common

For reasons of economy, we've used wind-break netting (free), and have painted it to reduce the possibility of little legs getting caught in the woven fabric.
Indicated is a 3.2mm welding rod stub which just fits into the mesh.

Conserving wild bees

Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.

Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.